Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-10-27
FOOL JIM.
That He Was Called, Although He Was Won
drOus Wise.


That He Was Called, Although He Was Won
drous Wise.
If we trust general opinion, it was a
series of follies, beginning in boyhood
and continuing during life. James Fol
iambe--"Fool Jim," as the boys nick
named him at school-and the epithet
chung to him-did in popular judgment,
the most silly things, and yet prospered.
At school he was noted for his folly, as
we'll as for pluck and GOODNESS. If big
boy maltreated little one, instead of
minding his own business, as sensible
boy should, Fool Jim would take 1t up
and thrash the bully.
When that wretched little Dick Greene,
the son of old Corney Greene, sort of
odd-job man about town, broke his leg
by fall from cherry tree, Fool Jim
used to go around and cheer up the little
brat, and spend his pocket money, which
he had plenty, for Dicks benefit. All
the leading big boys of the school
thought him a fool, but no one dared to
tell him SO, for, though he was not quar-
relsome, he was quick to resent an insult
and was a tough customer in rough and
tumble fight.
Foliarnbe left school for an academy
where they prepared boys for college,
and went afterward to college. / left at
the same time to become salesman
and general drudge in the grocery shop
of Figgs & Oalchieze. l lost sight of
him then, except at vacations, until he
was graduated and had come home. His
father, confirmed invalid, was very rich
and made great fuss over him when ne
returned, and was very proud of the fact
l. &hn nf alo
There was no nonsense about Jim, l must
sly. He remembered all his old school
mates and put on no airs. He would
come into our shop at all times and talk
with me when I was not busy, and, as he
wou,Z>sS very rich ia time, old Figgs,
tho, lie did keep his peoples noses
Gle the grindst9ne, never grumbled
NotSthat Jim was an Idler. He took a
vast deal of his sickly fathers hands in
managing the large plantation. No little
job that was, either. Foliambe place en-
braced over nineteen hundred acres, and
with the exception of hundred acres, OF
woodland, and about three hundred acres
of pasture and meadow, was closely Guilt
waited. There was fine herd of Jersey
cattle, then coming into vogue, and over
pillow and wagon.
For four years. there was nothing wor
thy of note, except that 1 got to be head
salesman and sort of general manager
in our concern, which, considering my
age was big lift for me. But cid Fol
jamie died at this time, and as James
was N otherless and an only son, he sue
ceeded to the property. Then began the
fnl1IpG nf this which made talk for
the country around for years.
The first exhibition was in the matter
of the Peabody mortgage. There had
been two Peabody brothers, Nathan an d
David; but David, the younger one. on
his fathers death had taken one thous-
and dollars cash for his share, and gone
off to Mexico to seek his fortune. He
was not heard of afterward, and was be-
lieved to be dead. Nathan stayed on
the old place. He was a shiftless man,
and though he married Ben Merrst's
daughter, who was tidy housewife and
a prudent woman, he could not get along.
The farm was pretty well worn out and
he did not i'm prove it at all.
The crops grew less and less, and Ma
than grew a crop of debt. To wipe that
out. he borrowed another Thousand dol
lars on bond and mortgage from
the same party that held the first
mortgage given to raise Davld's money.
Things grew worse aud worse, and at
last steps were taken to foreclOse the
mortgage. Nathan took sick over 1t and
died. The doctor said it was typhoid fe-
yer, but every one thought it was the
trouble, and that Nathan had given up
ghost because he could not face his diff
ficulties. At all events he died, leaving
his widow with one child, girl of four
teen. She was very pretty-the image of
her father-and all the Peabodys were
fine looking people; but she had her
mothers ways.
Everybody pited the widow, for it was
we'll understood that the farm would bling
no more than the debt and law expenses,
in fact, that the mortgage would be
obliged to buy lie in. With the exception
of one spot, the farm was a WORKOUT
sandy loan, pver-run with sedge-grass,
the sign of stecil1ty. The exception was
a hill, covering about forty-two acres,
apparently composed of tough, gravelly
clay, unfit for even brick-making, and
incapable of cultivation. To be sure the
ave acres around the house, which was at
one end Of the place, had been used as a
vegetable garden, and that WAS IN little
better order 1t was sorry piece of
properly. 80 when sale day came, and l
happened to be over ct the county town, /
dropped into the courthouse where the
sheriff was to sell. / found only half
dozen persons, and one of these was Fol
jamie, and another was Phipps who held
the mortgage.
The sheriff, stating that every one knew
the place, which had been with the Pea
bodys for over hundreds years, asked
for a bid. The amount against the prop
erty, including the legal costs, was twenty
three hundred and eighty -four dollars.
Phipps put that in as bid, bit remarked
he didn't want it at any price, and any one
advancing on that might have it.